Wow, I'm really in South Africa!

I'm sitting here in my res with a cup of rooibos tea, I'm now addicted to it, and a copy of the newspaper! Both of which, I am very excited about. I've just gotten back from eating dinner with two very lovely friends and a birthday party, where I didn't know the birthday girl, and I am ready to update you all on what's been going on here in South Africa! The past two weeks have gone by in a blur and I'm not even sure where to begin.

School:
Classes are going well, really well in fact. I was nervous about them because of the differences that I have been warned about. So far, nothing has been too wacky for me. Most classes have even been really interesting! I'm doing a lot of reading for History 201. I've already read All Quiet on the Western Front and while I enjoyed it, it did not help me get over my homesickness that second week. Talk about a depressing book, seriously! Now I'm reading The Grapes of Wrath and so far I'm really enjoying. Steinbeck writes very well and I can hear the accents in my head and it is a comforting reminder of home. A weird connection, my prof for History 201 taught at MC in 2003 for a semester and knows my advisor! What a small world right!? I think that is really cool. In my ethnomusicology class we have started learning a dance, song, and drum sequence from Zimbabwe. It's so fun, I can't even tell you! We all look really silly and it's just a good class. For this class we are also learning how to transcribe drumming and I think that will be a REAL challenge. I'm nervous about being tested on it because I have a hard enough time dancing to the beat so how am I supposed to be able to recognize a beat and write it down!? I've joined the African Drumming Society on campus to hopefully help me out! It's all an experience.. :)

Last Weekend!

My friend and I were trying to make plans to go to the beach last weekend and we were running into so many problems it wasn't even worth it. Disapointing to the extreme... THEN I ran into some of the french exchange students who were also planning their weekend and they invited us to go with them! Yay! We ended up going to the Addo Elephant National Park and to Port Alfred! It was so much fun! I got to see wild elepants, warthogs, elands, buffalo, zebras, monkeys, ostriches, dung beetles, and some various birds and things. We drove through the park in our rented van and got to stop where we wanted and take pictures and soak up the fact that we were in South Africa experiencing wildlife! I took sooooo many pictures, I'm going to put up some of the best ones. Port Alfred was beautiful! The beach was clean and basically empty because this is the off-season. We had an interesting dining experience at a place called Guido's and I don't think I'll be eating there again, but overall it was really nice! We stayed in some cottages in a camp ground a short drive from the beach and we were able to spend almost all day Sunday laying around on the beach! It was overcast and kind of windy but I didn't get sunburned! Success!! I was even able to get my homework done at a reasonable hour when we got home. It was a very good weekend!

A family of warthogs running away from us.

AN ELEPHANT!!!!!!!!

The road trip crew.

At the beach!

So, I had a really interesting experience last night. Some of my friends and I went out and we were having a good time, going from place to place, dancing a lot! It was towards the end of our night and we were standing outside of a club called Friars and were waiting in a fairly long line to get in. There was a group of us and we had passed this guy on the corner who was begging. It is really not uncommon in Gtown to see someone begging or for someone to come up to you and directly ask you for money. Usually it's no big deal and you just continue walking, which was what we did when we first saw this guy. Well, he started moving closer and closer to where we were standing in line, none of us noticed because there were a lot of people around. He was standing behind two of my friends and all of the sudden I saw that was taking the phone out of one of my friends' purses. I don't think that I really realized what was going on, but (and this is really funny) my first reaction was to reach across the circle that my friends were standing in, touch this guy's hand, look him in the eye and say "No Sir, no sir!". I suddenly turned into Counselor Liz and was treating this guy like one of my 4 year olds from camp two summers ago! He got this really scared look in his eye like we were going to shank him, handed my friend her phone back and ran away. It was really odd and funny. We decided that after that we were ready to call it a night and everyone headed back to their res's. Ha ha, I still laugh about the way I unconsciously handled that situation. It was a good wake up call though, you can't be too cautious with your belongings, especially in crowded situations.

Tomorrow I'm going with the M family to a isiXhosa church! I'm really looking forward to it and am excited and a little worried about using the little isiXhosa that I know. I talked to a guy last night in isiXhosa and he understood me so that's a good sign right? Ha ha, whatever, I'm going to chalk it up to experience..

Officially 1 Week

As of today, around 3pm here (it would be about 8am at home), I have been in Grahamstown for exactly one week! Admittedly, this has not been the easiest of weeks, but it has definitely been a good one. I'm learning a lot about myself, some good things and some bad, and I can feel myself growing a lot. I've met some really cool people and have really been blessed with their kindness, patience, and generosity.

There have been many times when I've reminded myself of John, my little brother, when he was really young. He would ask so many questions that it was difficult to listen to the radio if he was in the car. Well, I've also been asking a lot of questions this week. Questions like, "What is that? What did she say? What language was that in? What's your name again? How do you spell that?" and so many more. It's all a learning process and I'm doing my best to be a sponge.

Thursday I went on a picnic! Unfortunately, I didn't understand that this was supposed to be a hike/picnic and I was woefully unprepared and overdressed for the occasion. I got sunburned, but I made some really good friends. We went to a dam a little ways off campus and then walked around and saw some of the landscape. It was a warm day but it had a nice breeze. We ate an assortment of foods that everyone shared like pineapple, plums, apples, sandwiches, chocolate muffins, etc. It was healthy and delicious!! The area that we were in was really pretty. A local South African went with us and she gave us some insight on the land and nature around us. Apparently, the lovely trees that we were sitting under are not native to this area and were brought over by settlers. Many of these trees actually disturb the natural environment, some ways, and the government has been cutting down the invading trees to make more of a grassland type of landscape. We actually saw some men cutting down trees on our hike, and it made me sad because I love trees.

Later that night, I went to an interdenominational christian group called 268, it is an international group that uses Isaiah 26:8 as it's focus/aim "Yes Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls." It was the O week kick off and they were having pudding (desserts) and games! We played human fooseball, which was very interesting and fun. It was really cool to meet some people and have that christian connection with people.

Friday, I got to go shopping! It's weird being so far from home because most of the things that I shopped for I would normally already have. Stuff like school supplies, water, snacks, and tissues, were somewhat easy to find. Lucky for me, one of my friends went with me and helped me navigate the city and the stores because they are set up a bit differently from US stores. I also had to go shopping on Sunday for some more basic supplies and I think I'm going to have to go again soon. It's weird trying to live my "normal" life, my life in the states, without the stuff that I normally have at my fingertips.

Friday night the school hosted a street party! Once the rain stopped it was so much fun! The school had some bands and DJs come to perform and they had beer and other drinks for sale and everyone just partied in the street. Everyone got so excited for the last DJ to perform, DJ Club. He was pretty good, I'm just not used to thinking of DJs as performers because they don't play an instrument and they don't sing. Anyway, it was fun and I got to hang out with some of the international students that I went on the picnic with!

Saturday I met the US missionary family in Grahamstown that I talked to before arriving. They are soooooo awesome. They had me over for lunch and served barbecue and chips (real chips not french fries) and then for dessert, Mrs. M made PEACH COBBLER!!! I was so excited, I can't even tell you. It was such a God moment because that was exactly what I needed after a week of adjusting to new foods. It seriously made my week. And as if that wasn't enough (which it definitely could've been), they let me use their skype to call my parents! It was the first time that I had heard their voices since I left Atlanta and I can't tell you how exciting that was. It was so overwhelming that I started to cry when Mom answered the phone. After talking to the fam for over an hour, they invited me to stay for dinner and watch rugby with their family and the Pastor and his family from the church that hosts 268. I had one of the best days of the week on Saturday. They took such good care of me, introduced me to rugby and explained it to me, fed me South African food like biltong (a type of SA beef jerky but different from US beef jerky), a butternut squash with chakalaka (sp?) dish, and gave me some ammenities like a top sheet for my bed, a cell phone, and an adapter for my room. They also said that I could go with them to the Addo Elephant reserve nearby, volunteer with their tutoring ministry, and attend a rural church with them one Sunday. I feel so blessed to have met this wonderful family.

Today, I went to an evening church service at the Grahamstown Baptist Church, where 268 is held and where M family goes. I ended up walking there by myself, which turned out to be a good thing and a bad thing. I felt good about it because I was able to find my way around this small town, but I did walk by myself and it is not always safe when it starts getting towards dusk. When M family and the Pastor found out that I had done that.. well they didn't like it. My parents should be happy to know that I have a lot of people looking out for me and taking care of me. Anyway, the church is really pretty with lots of wood inside and history. It was a contemporary, very meaningful service and we had communion which was very special for me. Afterwards, they had tea and cake socializing time. I met some really nice people, this seems to be a theme for South Africa, and got to really experience the family atmosphere of the church.

I'm beginning to feel a lot more comfortable with my surroundings and with the people here. Classes start tomorrow and I'm pretty excited about them. I'm taking

History 101: Africa and the World
History 201: Representations of the the 20th C.
Ethnomusicology
isiXhosa (one of the native languages in South Africa)

They all seem like they will be very interesting and challenging, especially the isiXhosa class. IsiXhosa is the clicking language that many of you may have heard about. It seems intimidating but the professor says that some of her best students are international students and that she has faith that we will do well. I plan on practicing a lot with some of the girls in my res. Also, the tutoring that I may be doing will be for native isiXhosa speaking children and I bet I'll be picking up a lot there.

Well this was a really long one, I'll try to update the blog more so they don't get quite so long. I love you all and I hope you all are doing well! If you have any questions or want to email me, use
g09e7489@campus.ru.ac.za. You can also send me letters at

Elizabeth Embler
Olive Schreiner House
Private Bag 1032
Grahamstown, 6140
SOUTH AFRICA

if you want to.... ;)

My First Week In Grahamstown

I landed in Johannesburg on Saturday evening and stayed overnight in a pretty touristy hotel and flew to Port Elizabeth the next day. From Port Elizabeth, I was driven to Grahamstown with two other exchange students and began my semester at Rhodes University! Everything has been going well this week, for the most part. Everyone here in my residence is really nice and really helpful when I ask them questions. They are always seeing if I need help and if I'm enjoying my time here.

This week is "O" week, orientation week, and the school has been hard at work making everyone feel comfortable and encouraging the first year students to mingle. I'm counted as a first year because.. well it's my first year at Rhodes! Plus I'm so new, I need all of the extra help and attention. They've been having a lot of social functions for us to meet other people. On Sunday night, they held a wine and jazz event that was a lot of fun. It wasn't jazz like we are used to in the states with saxophones and other brass instruments, they used percussion instruments and it was really cool. The night was so warm and there were so many people there that I didn't stay very long. We've also had a wine and cheese night, I didn't go to that because I wasn't feeling well. We've also had a braai, a barbecue with chicken and other things but not pork, and tonight, Wednesday night, there was a Chocolate Ball! They had chocolate fountains, chocolate cake, donuts, marshmellows, and lots of fruit. It was so much fun! They decorated the hall with black and white fabric and used white Christmas lights throughout the fabric. I'm not sure what they have planned for tomorrow night but I know that on Friday night they have a huge street party planned and it is supposed to be a lot of fun! They also have this really funny tradition of having the first years sing serenades to each other. The different residence halls each prepare a song and then waaaay early in the morning, like 5am, a guy's res will go to a girl's res and they will sing to each other. While this may seem weird and kind of like hazing, it's actually a really good way to meet people because afterwards, they have all of the girls throw their keys in a pile in the middle and the guys pick up one and then they chat for a few minutes before presenting their partner to the group. I've met some pretty cool people this way and it helps me get to know my res mates better. This O week thing would be a cool way to do it in the states.

Tonight, I went out on the town for the first time. Some friends from my res and I first went to this place called the Union, which is a bar/club located on campus, and then we went to the Rat and Parrot, one of the favorite bars in town. It was fun to go out and dance and have a good time with some local South Africans. These ladies are really sweet.

I've been pretty busy doing orientation with the international office. We've had a general lecture on the foundation of Grahamstown and Rhodes. We've also had one on the differences in the academic systems here and at home. I don't think that it will be that bad, especially since I've been talking to my friend Sarah, who went to Rhodes for a semester 2 years ago, about it. There should be a bunch of lectures and one tutorial session a week that will give me small group interaction and discussion. The examination period at the end of the semester lasts a month instead of a week, that will be different for sure. So I've been trying to get myself registered for classes and make sure that they'll transfer to MC. Right now I'm signed up for:
History 101: Africa and the World
History 201: Represnting the 20th C.
Ethnomusicology (African music and the theories of it, apparently a lot of international students take it)
and I'm trying to take an environmental science class but I'm waiting on confirmation of the credit transferring.

I hope to get into town and explore it more. It seems really cute. I also and looking forward to getting more involved in the community here at Rhodes. The clubs seem really interesting. Tomorrow night I'm going to a Christian group called 268 for a pudding and games night. I'll make sure to let you all know how that goes, I'm pretty excited!

The only draw back to my experience so far is the hard time that I've had adjusting. My sleep schedule is way off and I can't sleep at night but want to sleep all day. My stomach has also been acting up and when I'm hungry and go to the dining hall, it decides that it actually doesn't want to eat, at least not this new kind of food, and I have a hard time eating. Luckily, they have a cool system here where I can choose my meals, what I want to eat everyday, and that way I can choose things that are close to what I would eat at home. I can do this until my stomach decides to settle down enough to let me experiment because all of the food looks so good!

I'll do my best to upload some pictures here soon. I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet though. I hope everyone is doing well at home! I miss you all very much!